Fairbanks racked up 75 saves over the past three seasons. He's been Cash's go-to stopper when healthy. The right-hander ranks third in franchise history with 90 saves. He would have almost certainly passed Colome (95) and Roberto Hernandez (101) had he remained with the organization for another year. Instead, Tampa Bay declined Fairbanks' $11MM option and allowed him to hit free agency. He signed a one-year, $13MM deal with the Marlins on Christmas Eve.
He left in free agency for the St. Louis Cardinals, and in the years since, he has converted to being a full-time reliever. This past season, he was traded to the Boston Red Sox at the trade deadline, thriving in a low-leverage role as the Red Sox made the playoffs. Now, Matz appears determined to tour the entirety of the AL East. According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, Matz is joining the Tampa Bay Rays on a two-year contract in free agency.
The MLB free agent class for relief pitchers got stronger with longtime Tampa Bay Rays closer Pete Fairbanks joining the group after the team declined to pick up his 2026 option worth $11 million. The right-hander is coming off another solid season as he went 4-5 with a 2.83 ERA, 3.63 FIP, 1.04 WHIP and 27 saves in 60.1 innings pitched across 61 appearances. Fairbanks is part of a talented class of relievers that includes Edwin Díaz, Robert Suárez, Raisel Iglesias, Ryan Helsley, Kenley Jansen and Kyle Finnegan, among others.
